'No, not really': Key features don't matter

Hyundai is confident its newest model will score a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Hyundai is also confident that won’t have any impact on sales.

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But the Palisade’s original four-star score (which was quickly upgraded to five-stars when the mid-life update arrived with more safety technology) was followed by a three-star rating for the i30 Sedan; which was another controversial result based on the timing and protocol changes.

It led to an impression that Hyundai and ANCAP were at loggerheads, despite both parties publicly insisting everything was great between them.

Hyundai Australia is now under new leadership, with a new Chief Executive Officer (Don Romano) and Chief Operating Officer (Gavin Donaldson), there is a clear change of tactics for the brand when it comes to ANCAP.

“Our preference is to have all our cars five-star, if we can,” Donaldson said. “Occasionally we don't, but in our [ideal] scenario, every car that we want to launch, we want to try and get to five-star.”

Donaldson admitted ANCAP ratings are primarily only a key issue for fleet buyers, which require the safest car on paper. Asked if the four-star rating for the previous Palisade impacted sales in any meaningful way, he was candid.

“No, not really. No,” Donaldson said.

He added: “No, generally it's a fleet channel. But for us we generally do ok, but we just want to be five-star [as much] as we can.”

Romano explained the main reason for the change in attitude was to ensure Hyundai remains competitive in an increasingly competitive market. New car companies from China are arriving in the Australian market seemingly every month. Most tick the required passive and active safety boxes to achieve five-stars, even if the driver assistance systems are poorly calibrated. 

ANCAP itself has acknowledged this is the case and will introduce new testing protocols from 2026, but Romano sees this as a key way to keep Hyundai relevant in an ever-changing landscape.

“It's a different market,” Romano said. “Look what's happened in the last three years. I mean, we have to differentiate ourselves in every possible way, now, more than ever. I think there's four more new brands that are not out there today that are gonna be out next year.”